Cigar and cigarette lighter



June 28, 1932. MARTEL 1,865,199

CIGAR AND CIGARETTE LIGHTER Filed Feb. 26, 1929 5 12 /QF-'-}-" I 1 13 Il T L 1a 1 i4 7 awuemtoz fiusiavkgjfiarfel Patented June 28, 1932 PATENTOFFICE GUSTAVE J. HARTEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CIGAR AND CIGARETTE LIGHTER Application med February 26, 1929. SerialNo. 342,931.

Among the principal objects which the present invention has in View are:To provide means for igniting the end of a clgar or the like withoutholding the same or apply ng I the lips to the same; to avoid thenecessity when lighting a cigar or the like heretofore existing; todivert the gaze of the driver from the road when directing anautomoblle; to secure the cigar or the like while being lighted fromfalling or being accident-iv removed from the igniting surface of thelighter; and to simplify and cheapen the construction of the lighter.

Drawing.--Figure 1 is a top plan view of I a lighter of the charactermentioned, constructed and arranged in accordance wlth the presentinvention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section thereof, the section being taken as onthe line 2-2 in a Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the lighter, the view being taken as fromthe arrow marked 3, in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken as on a the lines H in Figure 1,the guiding and holding jaws being shown in the position supporting acigarette.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the arrangement of the heatingcoil battery 30 and switch controlling the same.

Figure 6 is a pictorial view showing a fragment' of an automobilelighter constructed in accordance with the present invention, beingapplied to the steering wheel thereof.

Descfiption.-As seen in the drawing, the lighter has the usual glow pad.As is customary, this consists of coils or loops of fine resistancewire, one terminal of which, is connected with an electric battery 12,and the other with a terminal 13 which may be connected to a ground 14when a switch memher 15 is moved to connect the terminals 13 and 16 ofthe circuit.

The pad 11 is suitably supported on a table 17 opening directly abovethe pad 11, and supportedon the table 17 are two receiving jaws 18 and19, the former being pivotally mounted on a lever 20 as at 21.

The lever 20 is pivoted at 22 on the table 17. The lower end of thelever 20 extends below the said table and is there provided with arelatively thin leaf spring 23, which supports at its free end, aweighted switch member 24. The jaw 19 is r1gid1y mounted on the table 17and has an enlarged and flared mouth piece 25 which operates with thesimilar mouth piece 25 on the jaw 18. These mouth pieces constitute afunnel-like opening as seen best in Figure 1 of the drawing and areintended to guide the cigarette into the narrower and tubular portion ofthe said jaws. The necessary electrical connections are made, and thedevice is mounted by means of brackets 26 on the automobile structure,and preferably on the steering wheel 27 of 05 the automobile as shown inFigure 6 of the drawing. The device may be left exposed or may becovered by a box-like casing 28, as shown bestin Figures 1 and 2 of thedrawing.

\Vhen using a structure of this character, an opening 29 is formed inthe side of the box, the purpose being to catch a draft of air to blowthe same down upon the pad 11 to assist in igniting the burning end ofthe cigarette.

With a lighter constructed and arranged as described, and as shown inthe drawing, and as mounted on the automobile, the operation is asfollows: A person intent upon driving and desiring to smoke, may extractfrom his pocket or elsewhere, a cigarette or cigar, and without takinghis eyes from the road, may insert the ignition end of the cigar orcigarette between the jaws 18 and 19, being guided thereto by thefunnehshapcd ends 25. The cigarette A, (see Fig. 1 of the drawing), isforced down until the end rests upon the pad 11. To do this the jaw 18is moved back away from the jaw 19, the lever 20 swinging on its pivot22 to permit this. The lower end of the lever 20 is by this, moved inthe opposite direction from that travelled by the jaw 18 with the resultthat the switch member 24 is forced under the terminal buttons 13 and16, the former being wireconnected with the pad 11, and the latterwireconnected with the ground 14.

The forward portion of the switch member 24 is beveled or rounded towedge under the said terminals 13 and 16. In this posiiii.

tion too, it will be noted, the spring 23 is placed under tension, andin consequence thereof, the jaw 18 is forced gently, but firmly, againstthe cigarette A. The electric cireuit being thus established, the pad isheated to glow or incandesce. As the end of the cigar or cigarette isheated, a column of air flowing through the opening 29 in the cover 28,excites the flame and accelerates the lighting of the cigar orcigarette.

The driver of the automobile has not been compelled to divert hisattention from his driving during this operation. At the end of thenecessary and ascertained period, he now lifts the cigarette or cigarfrom the lighter and finds, upon putting it in his mouth, that it islighted ready for his smokm dVhen the cigar or cigarette A is drawn frombetween the jaws l8 and 19, the spring 23 and the weighted switch member24 cooperate to swing the lever 20 on its pivot 22 'to close the jaws 18and 19 upon each other and to remove the switch member 24 from contactwith the terminals 13 and 16, thus automatically discontinuing the flowof electricity from the battery 12, this flow having been previouslyestablished in a similar or automatic manner.

lVhile I have herein described the particular construction and operatingelements, it will be recognized that I should not be limited to the useof the particular elements shown and described. and that the inventionbroadly stated consists in a receptacle cooperating with an igniti nelement, electrically effected to burn the end of a cigar or cigarettewhen an electric circuit is established therethrough, said expandingmember operating to establish said current when moved to receive andhold a cigar or cigarette.

Claim:

A lighter as characterized comprising an electrical ignition element, aholding element adapted to guide and retain a cigar or the like incontact with said ignition element, and having a movable switch portionfor supplying electric current to said ignition element when and as acigar or the like is introduced in said holding element, and meansconnected with said movable switch portion for automaticallydiscontinuing the electrical supply when and as the cigar or the like isremoved from said holding element, said means embodying a pivoted lever,one end of which is attached to said holding element, and the other endof which carries a switch member, and means for rocking said lever toremove said switch member from electrical contacts when said holdingelement is empty, said means embodying a weighted switch member adaptedto fall away from the electrical terminals by gravity.

GUSTAVE J. MARTEL.

